


gentle hands

by theamazingkrypto



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: A Puppy Adopts Kittens as Her Own, Family Fluff, Gen, Kittens, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Pre-Canon, alex is there for like 2 seconds, kara is Too Good for this earth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-10
Updated: 2016-12-10
Packaged: 2018-09-07 16:49:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8808451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theamazingkrypto/pseuds/theamazingkrypto
Summary: "Jesus Christ." Eliza picks up a canister and examines it. "This must have costed you at least four months' allowance."Kara nods. "I only have three dollars left." She doesn't sound the slightest bit regretful.ORKara is a bleeding heart.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I spent some time with smol bean kittens today and it reminded me of the time I was a proud kitten momma and I bottle fed two beans, so this is me projecting my feelings and memories onto Kara. Enjoy.

"Eliza?" Kara's voice is small, meager, but filled with determination. She's only sounded like this when Alex broke her arm. Something has to be wrong.

Eliza sets her papers aside and looks at her youngest. Kara's head pokes out from the door frame, worrying her lip between her teeth. "Yes, Kara?"

"Could you, um..." Kara frowns, ducking her head behind the door frame. "You know what? It's not important, I just-" Kara reappears, mouth set in a determined line. "It actually is important. I need your help." As soon as the last syllable leaves her mouth, Kara swings back to unsure. "But, um, p-please don't get mad."

Eliza chuckles. She folds her glasses and places them on top of her papers. "Of course I won't get mad, Kara." She rests a hand on Kara's shoulder. "Thank you for coming to me."

"Y-yeah, of course. I just..." Kara scratches the back of her neck. Eliza hears a little tearing sound as her fingernails catch on the collar of her sweater, but Kara doesn't seem to notice. "Follow me."

Eliza isn't sure what she expected. With Kara, nothing really can - but she thought it would be along the lines of something mistakenly broken, or incinerated, or Kara asking her to proof read a letter of apology to a girl she accidentally saw through the clothes of. (All of these _have_ happened.)

But she isn't expecting a cardboard box and small canisters stacked high on the table.

"Kara," Eliza says slowly, "what is all this?"

"You promised you wouldn't be mad!" Kara squawks.

"I'm not," she says. "I'm just trying to understand what all this _is_."

"Well, uh, let me show you." Kara leads her over to the table. The canisters, for some reason, have pictures of kittens on them, but Kara chooses to explain the box first. She opens it slowly, eyes darting between Eliza and the box, as if waiting for her to blow up. Finally, there's a wide enough gap for Eliza to peer through, and she sees - fur.

"Please don't be mad!" Kara is already rushing out. "But there was this - there was this homeless guy, alright? He was in _tears_ , Eliza. Actual tears. He said that their mom ran off sometime, and what little money he had was running out and he knew he wouldn't be able to take care of them and he was just so sad, Eliza, and they were so small in the box and I-"

"Kara. Breathe." Eliza doesn't think she has inhaled since they left her study.

"R-right." Kara sucks in a deep breath, her chest puffing out with the influx of air. When she exhales the room gets a tiny bit chillier. "I promised him I would take care of them."

Eliza sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. She practically feels Kara freezing up. "I'm not mad, Kara," she says, and looks her in the eye. "But you should have asked Jeremiah or myself first."

"I know. I'm sorry. I..." Kara shifts her weight, ducks her head. "I had to help, you know?"

She knows Kara isn't consciously doing the puppy dog eyes - this time - but she can never say no to them. She looks down at the sleeping kittens in the box. She sighs. "...You know we can't keep them forever." 

Kara's head snaps up. She nods vigorously. "Yes. I'll do everything to get them into good homes but until then - I-I need your help."

"With what?"

"Feeding them." Kara turns her attention to the canisters. There must be a couple dozen. "The lady at the counter said they were two weeks old, but I bought all the age group formulas. And all the different brands. Just to be sure."

"Jesus Christ." Eliza picks up one and examines it. "This must have costed you at least four months' allowance."

Kara nods. "I only have three dollars left." She doesn't sound the slightest bit regretful. "So, can we...?"

Eliza turns the canister over. She reads the instructions out loud, and Kara zips to the kitchen. She opens her mouth to scold her, but...There's no telling when the kittens last ate. They do need to be quick.

Once its done, Kara pours the formula into little bottle Eliza hadn't seen before, and hands one to her. She reaches into the box to pick up the tortoiseshell one. It and all it's siblings mew in protect, though the tortoiseshell shuts up when offered the bottle and sucks down the milk eagerly.

The three kittens seem to be in good health. All their eyes are open, their meows are strong and clear, and all have a little chub on them.

Kara leans over her shoulder, staring at the suckling tortoiseshell kitten so intently she might burn a hole through her glasses - which, for her, isn't out of the question.

"You could help feed them, you know," Eliza says, nodding towards the other bottles.

Kara takes a couple quick steps back, hands up, palms spread out flat. "Oh, n-no. I-I couldn't. I-" She draws in her shoulders and brings her hands lower, scratching at the base of her thumb. "I-I don't want to hurt them."

Eliza softens. "You won't, Kara," she promises.

"But what if I do?' Kara presses.

The tortoiseshell starts mewling and squirming again, done with its meal, and she puts it back in the box and the used bottle on the table. She doesn't pick up another one right away; instead, she beckons Kara over. She fiddles with her hands while taking hesitant steps forward.

"Sit," Eliza says. Kara does. "Hold out your hands, palms flat." Once Kara obeys, she reaches into the box and pulls out the next kitten - a black one with white paws - and hands it slowly to Kara.

"N-no!" Kara jerks her hands away. "I'll _hurt it_."

"You won't."

"But-"

"If you don't trust you, trust me."

Kara stares at her. The kitten in Eliza's hands kicks its legs out, mewling, and Kara's eyes flick down to it. Slowly, she extends her hands. Eliza carefully hands her the kitten.

It mewls, squirming, and it almost falls off, but Eliza quickly reaches over and bends Kara's fingers to make a barrier. She hands Kara one of the little bottles.

Kara's bottle hand jerks. "So I just-?" But she doesn't need to finish the sentence before she gets it right. The kitten latches on to the offered bottle, drinking the formula greedily.

Eliza makes sure that Kara's okay before she turns away to grab the last kitten. Kara doesn't seem to notice; she stares, transfixed, at the small, fragile kitten perched on her palm. The last kitten is black and a little bigger than its siblings, but takes a bit longer to accept the bottle.

Eliza's head whips around when she hears the sniffle. Kara's still looking at the kitten, a tear rolling down her cheek. She doesn't bother to wipe it off, lest she disturbs the kitten's meal.

She furrows her eyebrows. "Are you okay, Kara?"

Kara has her middle finger positioned just so that she can _feel_ the kitten's heart beat instead instead of just hearing it. She sniffles again - quite loudly - and gives Eliza a genuine, watery smile. "Perfect."

* * *

 

"I've been asking for a dog for _three years_ and Kara gets _three cats_ in _one day_?! Favoritism much?"

**Author's Note:**

> Come cream at me on tumblr [**@theamazingkrypto**](https://theamazingkrypto.tumblr.com) ****
> 
> Reviews really do mean a lot to me!


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